Published in The Philadelphia Sunday Sun,
the Hudson Valley Press, and other papers.

The Right to Vote Is a Human RightBy Alice Bernstein

Thousands of people good naturedly weathered the cold in New York City on Saturday, December 10th in a march for Voting Rights, sponsored by the NAACP, labor unions, educators, and community organizations, ending in a rally at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, across from the United Nations.
I was proud to be among the men, women, and children expressing outrage at the fact that two-thirds of state legislatures have introduced laws to undermine the right to vote and suppress voter turnout — targeting people of color, the disabled, immigrants, and the poor.
It is heartbreaking and completely wrong that after so many people fought, bled, and died in the 1960s for the right to vote—subjected to cattle prods, dogs, fire hoses, and tear gas--people now have to fight 21st century racism and cold-blooded selfishness, waged by people in business suits with million-dollar bank accounts.
Dear reader, let's ask everyone to answer this urgent question first asked by Eli Siegel, the great educator and founder of Aesthetic Realism: What does a person deserve by being a person? I believe that a person deserves food, a job, a place to live, and the right to vote! There is no democracy without these, and free and easy access to voting should be a top priority!